Reference · Identifiers
Canadian ID number formats cheat sheet.
One table for the shape of the identifiers developers, bookkeepers and form builders handle most: what each looks like, whether it carries a check digit, and who defines it.
Identifier formats at a glance
A format or checksum match shows only that a value is well-formed. It never shows that the number was issued or belongs to anyone.
| Identifier | Layout | Check digit | Worked example (not a real person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Insurance Number (SIN) | 9 digits, shown 123-456-789. A SIN starting with 9 is a temporary SIN. | Luhn mod 10 over all 9 digits | 046 454 286: weighted digit total is 50, divisible by 10, so it passes |
| CRA Business Number (BN) | 9-digit root. With a program account: 9 digits + 2 letters + 4 digits (15 characters) | None published by the CRA for the 9-digit root | 123456789RT0001: root 123456789, RT = GST/HST, 0001 = first account |
| Ontario health card number | 10 digits (printed 1234-567-890) plus a 1 or 2 letter version code | Luhn mod 10 over the 10 digits; the version code is not part of it | 9876543217: passes (Ministry specification example) |
| BC Personal Health Number (PHN) | 10 digits, first digit always 9, shown 4-3-3 | Mod 11, weights 2, 4, 8, 5, 10, 9, 7, 3 on digits 2 to 9 | 9698658215: remainders sum to 39, 39 mod 11 = 6, 11 − 6 = 5 = last digit |
| Postal code | ANA NAN: six characters, letter-digit-letter then digit-letter-digit | None | M2T 1A1: M = Metropolitan Toronto, 2 = urban (digit 1 to 9) |
| Telephone number | +1, then 10 digits: NPA-NXX-XXXX. First digit of area code and exchange is 2 to 9 | None | +1 416 555 0123 |
BN program identifiers
The two letters in a 15-character Business Number name the CRA program account: RT GST/HST, RP payroll deductions, RC corporation income tax, RM import/export, RR registered charity, RZ information returns. The last four digits number the account within that program.
Postal code first letter
The first character of the forward sortation area (FSA) identifies one of 18 geographic areas. A second character of 0 marks a rural postal code; 1 to 9 marks an urban one.
| First letter | Geographic area (Canada Post) |
|---|---|
| A | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| B | Nova Scotia |
| C | Prince Edward Island |
| E | New Brunswick |
| G | Eastern Quebec |
| H | Metropolitan Montreal |
| J | Western Quebec |
| K | Eastern Ontario |
| L | Central Ontario |
| M | Metropolitan Toronto |
| N | Southwestern Ontario |
| P | Northern Ontario |
| R | Manitoba |
| S | Saskatchewan |
| T | Alberta |
| V | British Columbia |
| X | Northwest Territories / Nunavut |
| Y | Yukon |
Why the BN has no checksum here
Unlike a SIN or a health card number, the 9-digit BN root is an assigned number. A program account is valid because the CRA registered it, which only the CRA can confirm.
Sources
- Employment and Social Development Canada: Social Insurance Number (9-digit number; temporary SIN starts with 9)
- Canada Revenue Agency: Registering your business (Business Number and program accounts)
- Ontario Ministry of Health, Interface to Health Care Systems Technical Specifications, section 4.14 (health card check digit; published copy of the Ministry text)
- BC Ministry of Health, Conformance Standards Vol. 4B, Client Registry rules, v3.3, section 1.3 (archived copy)
- Canada Post: Addressing guidelines, postal codes
- Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNAC) and North American Numbering Plan Administrator (+1 and NPA-NXX-XXXX layout)
- Luhn mod 10 is the checksum defined in ISO/IEC 7812-1; the step-by-step method is on our check-digit algorithms page.
Every figure above is copied from the primary source linked here. Check the source before relying on a number for a filing, a payroll run or a legal decision; governments revise these tables.
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